ABSTRACT

Scraton’s [1992. Shaping up to womanhood: Gender and girls’ physical education. Open University Press] ground breaking research highlighted how Physical Education (PE) contributed to the reproduction of gender power relations; more specifically, how three messages around motherhood, sexuality and physicality, reflected through PE’s structures, activities and delivery, contributed to young women’s sense of self. Twenty five years on, this paper explores how contemporary PE reproduces and challenges gender power relations in four English secondary schools. Data were generated from eighty hours of observations of PE lessons, and eight semi-structured interviews with PE teachers. Guided by Hill Collins’ [2000. Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. Routledge] four domains (structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, interpersonal) underpinning the matrix of domination the findings demonstrate that gender remains a visible organising feature in the structural arrangements of PE. Moreover, teachers’ gendered beliefs and assumptions circulating within the hegemonic domain, and actions in the disciplinary domain, ensure that students embody their gender in appropriate ways. Furthermore, a consistency of practice was evident in teachers’ pedagogy despite differences in the schools’ cohorts. Similar blocks of teaching activities and a performance-based pedagogy failed to include difference. We suggest this is unsurprising and unlikely to change with the current National Curriculum promoting a performative, PE as sport discourse, and teacher training not conducive to developing teachers who can engage with difference and challenge inequalities. As such, PE continues to reinforce gender power relations and gender differences. By drawing upon the matrix, the need for change to occur at different levels and contexts is identified. To this end, teacher training must do better in developing the next generation of teachers who are willing and able to critique the status quo and work with girls to advocate for change. Relatedly, we draw attention to what can be achieved when power is shared through a democratic pedagogy that values girls’ voices and recognises them as co-collaborators in curriculum design.

摘要

克拉顿 [1992. 塑造女性气质：性别与女孩的体育教育。开放大学出版社]开创性的研究强调了体育（PE）如何促进性别权力关系的再现；更具体地说，通过 PE 的结构、活动和交付方式反映的关于母性、性和身体的三个信息如何促进年轻女性的自我意识。二十五年过去了，本文探讨了当代体育如何在四所英国中学复制和挑战性别权力关系。数据来自对体育课的 80 小时观察，以及对体育教师的 8 次半结构化访谈。由希尔柯林斯 [2000.] 指导。黑人女权主义思想：知识、意识和赋权政治. Routledge] 支持支配矩阵的四个领域（结构、学科、霸权、人际）研究结果表明，性别仍然是体育结构安排中可见的组织特征。此外，教师在霸权领域的性别信念和假设，以及在学科领域的行动，确保学生以适当的方式体现他们的性别。此外，尽管学校的队列存在差异，但教师教学法的实践一致性很明显。类似的教学活动块和基于绩效的教学法未能包括差异。我们认为这不足为奇，并且不太可能随着当前的国家课程促进表演性的体育运动而改变，教师培训不利于培养能够参与差异和挑战不平等的教师。因此，PE 继续强化性别权力关系和性别差异。通过利用矩阵，可以确定在不同级别和背景下发生变化的需要。为此，教师培训必须更好地培养愿意并能够批评现状并与女孩一起倡导变革的下一代教师。与此相关的是，我们提请注意通过民主教学法共享权力时可以实现的目标，这种教学法重视女孩的声音并承认她们是课程设计中的合作者。确定了在不同层次和背景下进行变革的必要性。为此，教师培训必须更好地培养愿意并能够批评现状并与女孩一起倡导变革的下一代教师。与此相关的是，我们提请注意通过民主教学法共享权力时可以实现的目标，这种教学法重视女孩的声音并承认她们是课程设计中的合作者。确定了在不同层次和背景下进行变革的必要性。为此，教师培训必须更好地培养愿意并能够批评现状并与女孩一起倡导变革的下一代教师。与此相关的是，我们提请注意通过民主教学法共享权力时可以实现的目标，这种教学法重视女孩的声音并承认她们是课程设计中的合作者。